Reconsider Baby,’ sometimes known under other titles after the song’s opening line (‘So long, oh, how I hate to see you go’), was Lowell Fulson’s wistful goodbye and plea to a departing lover, with a lyrical message so strong (and memorable music to match) that it became a standard in the modern-day blues repertoire. The most enduring of Fulson’s many hits, which extended from the 1940s through the ’70s, it was the first song recorded by Fulson during his 1954-1963 tenure with Checker Records and spent 15 weeks on the Billboard charts in 1954-55. Shreveport record retailer and distributor Stan Lewis, who later founded Jewel Records, produced the session in Dallas. Among the many artists who later recorded ‘Reconsider Baby’ were Elvis Presley, Bobby Bland, Ike & Tina Turner, Freddie King and Eric Clapton.
Recorded Sept. 27, 1954. Released as Checker 804 (45 and 78rpm), 1954.
— Jim O’Neal
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